Battery pack monitoring apparatus

• US 9,494,653 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Automotive Electronics Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Okaniwa, Masakazu, Kitahara, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robbins, Jerry D
• Application Number:
  US13/773,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20130214791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 324/434
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery

Abstract

A battery pack monitoring apparatus detects line breakage of detection lines on a highest potential side and a lowest potential side of a battery pack. In the apparatus, a battery cell voltage detection section detects a voltage of each of battery cells through detection lines connected to both electrodes of the battery cells. A battery pack voltage detection section detects a voltage of the battery pack through the highest potential side detection line and the lowest potential side detection line of the battery pack. Diodes are connected in parallel to respective battery cells on the highest and lowest potential sides in a forward direction from a negative electrode toward a positive electrode. A control section determines that one of the lines is broken when a sum of the voltage of each of the battery cells detected and the voltage of the battery pack detected are not equal to each other.

Claims

1. A battery pack monitoring apparatus comprising:

a battery cell voltage detection section for detecting a voltage of each of serially connected battery cells constituting a battery pack through detection lines connected to both electrodes of each of the battery cells;

a battery pack voltage detection section for detecting a voltage of the battery pack through the detection line on a highest potential side of the battery pack and the detection line on a lowest potential side of the battery pack;

diodes each being connected in parallel to the battery cell on the highest potential side of the battery pack and the battery cell on the lowest potential side of the battery pack in a forward direction from a negative electrode toward a positive electrode of each of the battery cells; and

a line breakage determining section for determining that one of the detection line on the highest potential side and the detection line on the lowest potential side is broken when a sum of the voltage of each of the battery cells detected by the battery cell voltage detection section and the voltage of the battery pack detected by the battery pack voltage detection section are not equal to each other.

2. The battery pack monitoring apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the line breakage determining section determines that the detection line on the highest potential side is broken when a voltage of the battery cell on the highest potential side is 0 V, and

wherein the line breakage determining section determines that the detection line on the lowest potential side is broken when a voltage of the battery cell on the lowest potential side is 0 V.

3. The battery pack monitoring apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the line breakage determining section determines that one of the detection line on the highest potential side and the detection line on the lowest potential side is broken when a difference between the sum of the voltage of each of the battery cells and the voltage of the battery pack is equal to a voltage drop value in a forward direction of each of the diodes, and

wherein the line breakage determining section determines that both of the detection line on the highest potential side and the detection line on the lowest potential side are broken when the difference between the sum of the voltage of each of the battery cells and the voltage of the battery pack is equal to twice the voltage drop value in the forward direction of each of the diodes.

4. The battery pack monitoring apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the line breakage determining section determines that one of the detection line on the highest potential side and the detection line on the lowest potential side is broken when a difference between the sum of the voltage of each of the battery cells and the voltage of the battery pack is equal to a voltage drop value in a forward direction of each of the diodes, and

wherein the line breakage determining section determines that both of the detection line on the highest potential side and the detection line on the lowest potential side are broken when the difference between the sum of the voltage of each of the battery cells and the voltage of the battery pack is equal to twice the voltage drop value in the forward direction of each of the diodes.